Welcome to this week’s edition of Creator’s Corner - where we gather around the campfire, roast marshmallows, and chat the shit.
What you’ll learn today:
- Should you chase audience audience growth or monetization first?
- What to do if you struggle with self-doubt (and one little trick I use all the time)
- Will AI be the end of copywriters?
Let’s dive in.
A Quick Note... If you're serious about becoming a professional creator, you should be reading Creator Science. Creator Science will help you become a smarter creator in 10 minutes per week. Join nearly 18,000 creators learning from firsthand experiments, expert interviews, and actionable advice every week.
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QUESTION 1
Francisco asked:
When you start on social media, should you focus on growth or on providing a service? Or should these be done simultaneously? |
I hate to be 'that' guy with this answer, but I'm gonna be:
It depends.
I get asked this question all the time. I'll explain what I focused on first in a moment. But here’re the 3 factors you need to consider when deciding for yourself:
- Time
- Money
- Urgency
Let's unpack each.
How much time do you have to work on your dream?
If it’s not much, don’t do both. The risk of chasing two goals is you end up stuck in the middle. Derek Sivers puts it perfectly:
Instead, set a 90-day goal based on the other two factors.
How badly do you need the money?
If it's urgent, writing threads will not cure your anxiety. Finding clients will. You will never think clearly if money is on your mind.
Prioritize income.
How quickly do you want it to happen?
If you hate your job, the fastest way to give them the finger is to get paid. But if you enjoy your job, don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Your day job funds for your future career. Upskill. Build presence. Create connections.
Then when the time is right, say adios.
Me?
I had:
- Little to no time
- Savings to burn
- Patience
So I focused on learning how to write first. Hit 20-30k followers then launched a product. I still quit my job a year earlier than planned, but that’s a story for another time.
QUESTION 2
Proinsight girl asked:
Sometimes I believe I don't have what it takes to help others, yet I know I do. What did you do when you had doubts? |
I get my girlfriend to stroke my hair and soothingly whisper that I’m a big, strong creator who makes a difference.
Just kidding.
She doesn’t whisper.
Unfortunately I can’t rent her out.
But I can give you an idea that helps me immensely (to this day).
Serve your shadow.
Give all your focus to the person you can help most. You, from the past.
Every time I create content, I ask:
Is this what Kieran Drew circa 12 months ago would love to read?
Most of us feel like imposters and fear judgement. But you are the most qualified person to help yourself. And the internet is a big place. There’re people just like you, 2 steps, dying to hear your advice.
They want guides, not gurus.
Serve your shadow and you’ll see how much of a difference you can make. And that difference will eliminate doubt, one win at a time.
QUESTION 3
Tomas asked:
What’s your take on AI (chatGPT, Jasper, Copy.ai, etc) taking over for copywriters? Do you think the demand for copywriters will decrease because of AI technology or is it a career worth pursuing? And also, do you use AI as a copywriter/marketer? |
I’m sure you’ve seen the messages.
AI will replace all copywriters. Writing will be obsolete. Robots will steal your wife and children.
There’s a lot of fear-mongering, and unfortunately, I’m here to make it worse.
AI will replace copywriters.
But that’s not the problem.
AI is going to replace everything.
Don't think you are safe just because Twitter isn’t crying about your career. In fact, I reckon copywriting is one of the safest bets.
Why?
Well, have you heard of a ‘Knocker Upper’?
It was an important job in the industrial age. They would walk the streets in the early mornings, tapping on windows to wake up the town for a day of work.
I’m sure they didn’t expect alarm clock armageddon.
Even last year, I went to Abu Dhabi, and on the way home, I didn’t speak to a single person from check-in to boarding the plane. That would've been unheard of 5 years ago.
The robot revolution has always been here, it’s just moving up the food chain.
So why is copywriting a GOOD thing?
Because robots lack self-awareness (for now anyway, but big T will be our children's problem).
In a world where everything is optimized and automated, the only remaining variable is human nature. We’re just monkeys with mobile phones. The jobs that require complexity, creativity, and understanding of people, will be the last to go.
So yeah my friend, copywriting is worth pursuing. Even if you're not a copywriter, I don’t think you can afford not to.
Not if you want to take advantage of AI instead of being manhandled by it (robot handled?).
If you want to use AI, Rob Lennon’s course AI Content Reactor is by the far the best resource I’ve come across.
Kieran's Killer Resource of the Week Originally I had a video from someone with biceps almost as big as mine: Alex Hormozi. But in light of question number 3, some of you might wanna learn some copy. Aside from my copywriting crash course, I built another course called 'The 7 Step Blueprint to Become a Killer Copywriter (Without Overcomplicating it)'. I planned on re-releasing this on Twitter soon (much love if you still share it for me), but you can grab it here now.
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A Question for You... Would you rather sell a $50 product to 2,000 people or a $5,000 service to 20? This is a matter of depth vs breadth. Both are achievable, but not at once. What business model appeals most to you? Think about it before you climb the wrong mountain. |
On Friday
Boy have I got a great one for you. I’m going to unpack how you can get 1000x the result with the same amount of effort (and that’s no exaggeration), including my ‘Sniper and Shotgun’ method for tweet writing.
Keep an eye out.
Kieran.
P.S.
If you’d like more help, I’ve got your back: